Carlene Bantick

From the very start, I felt like an outsider. School was never a place of belonging for me. I left without a single GCSE, my sense of self-worth whittled away by constant bullying and isolation for being different. While classmates seemed to navigate childhood with ease, I drifted through my teens lost and misunderstood, invisible to an education system that didn’t recognise my neurodivergent wiring. For years I carried the weight of feeling broken, convinced that my inability to fit in meant I was failing.

Adulthood brought answers that changed everything. Being diagnosed with dyslexia at 33 during my final year at university, and then ADHD at 34, finally explained why life had been an uphill battle. The realisation that my brain was never broken, just wired in a beautifully unique way, was life changing. With that clarity, I began to rewrite my story, determined to use my experiences as fuel for something greater.

My life has not been without its hardships. As a mother to a son with ADHD and ASD, I have seen the challenges of neurodivergence from both sides, child and parent. I have survived postnatal depression and lived much of my adult life with general anxiety disorder, often masking my struggles by using alcohol as a coping mechanism. My journey wound through addiction, homelessness, domestic abuse, and body dysmorphia. Each battle taught me empathy, resilience, and the unshakeable belief that it is possible to rebuild and thrive.

Professionally, I found purpose on the frontline of mental health support. Over more than a decade, I have guided children, adolescents, and adults through trauma, PTSD, and substance misuse. As Deputy Manager for a Mental Health Crisis Pathway, I led pivotal changes, most notably introducing faster ADHD and ASD screening to get people the help they need sooner, work that received national recognition. Today, my focus is on neurodivergent coaching, weaving clinical expertise with personal understanding. My approach is creative and inclusive, using tools like LEGO Serious Play to break down barriers for people who find traditional communication difficult.

In Bedford, I have built ADHD support communities, spaces where no one has to face their battles alone. These connections are at the heart of what I do, bringing people together, championing neurodiversity, and proving that no experience is wasted if it becomes someone else’s lifeline.

Becoming an ambassador for ADHD UK is deeply personal for me. It is not just a role, but the continuation of my journey, from silence to advocacy, from feeling voiceless to being a force for change. I am so honoured to stand alongside the ADHD UK team, pushing for better understanding in schools, transforming NHS support, and educating my community about what it means to be neurodivergent. My mission is simple but powerful: to ensure no one feels alone, misunderstood, or broken for being different. With the right support and someone to champion your cause, not only do you discover where you belong, you learn you can lead.

@adhdsupportbedfordcic

@empoweringmindscoaching